Past Events

Bergamot Quartet and special guest Dan Trueman will present a program that pays homage to the intricate array of textures and pitches available on our non-fretted instruments, featuring works that explore “the spaces between the notes”, and backboned by fiddle traditions from around the world.​​

Jazz at Lincoln Center and SONiC co-present a program curated by two of the most innovative artists bridging the boundaries between Latin Jazz and classical music—Clarice Assad and Yosvany Terry—at Dizzy’s Club.Jazz at Lincoln Center and SONiC co-present a program curated by two of the most innovative artists bridging the boundaries between Latin Jazz and classical music – Clarice Assad and Yosvany Terry – at Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center on Monday, June 5, 2023. At 7:30pm, Grammy Award–nominated composer, pianist, and vocalist Clarice Assad curates a one-hour set featuring Brazilian guitarist João Luiz Rezende, pianists Mariel Mayz and Carolina Calvache, and more.At 9:30pm, JALC and SONiC present Atlantic Connections, created by Grammy-nominated saxophonist, percussionist, and composer Yosvany Terry and multi-dimensional vocalist Alicia Hall Moran, is a song cycle inspired by a selection of poets from the African Diaspora, including Maya Angelou, Salgado Maranhão (Brasil) and Silvie Kande (Senegal). The work of these poets served as a launching point for Terry and Hall to explore themes of land, home, motherhood, love, loss, distance, displacement, and water as some of the elements that spiritually connect the peoples’ of the African Diaspora. Atlantic Connections was originally commissioned by the Harvard University Committee on the Arts.Curated by: Yosvany Terry, saxophonist, percussionist, and composer

Jazz at Lincoln Center and SONiC co-present a program curated by two of the most innovative artists bridging the boundaries between Latin Jazz and classical music—Clarice Assad and Yosvany Terry—at Dizzy’s Club.Jazz at Lincoln Center and SONiC co-present a program curated by two of the most innovative artists bridging the boundaries between Latin Jazz and classical music – Clarice Assad and Yosvany Terry – at Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center on Monday, June 5, 2023. At 7:30pm, Grammy Award–nominated composer, pianist, and vocalist Clarice Assad curates a one-hour set featuring Brazilian guitarist João Luiz Rezende, pianists Mariel Mayz and Carolina Calvache, and more.At 9:30pm, JALC and SONiC present Atlantic Connections, created by Grammy-nominated saxophonist, percussionist, and composer Yosvany Terry and multi-dimensional vocalist Alicia Hall Moran, is a song cycle inspired by a selection of poets from the African Diaspora, including Maya Angelou, Salgado Maranhão (Brasil) and Silvie Kande (Senegal). The work of these poets served as a launching point for Terry and Hall to explore themes of land, home, motherhood, love, loss, distance, displacement, and water as some of the elements that spiritually connect the peoples’ of the African Diaspora. Atlantic Connections was originally commissioned by the Harvard University Committee on the Arts.Curated by: Clarice Assad

Composer-performers Angélica Negrón and Miguel Zenón curate an afternoon of works performed by a sensational and wide-ranging array of New York musicians highlighting the rich musical traditions of Puerto Rico leading up to the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade. Featured performers and composers include Ahmed Alom, Raquel Acevedo Klein, Angélica Negrón, Victor Pablo, Darian Thomas, and Miguel Zenón.

The Next Festival of Emerging Artists celebrates its 10th Anniversary with a program of World Premieres for string orchestra based on the theme of Interactivity, including by Guest Artist and soloist guitarist/composer Yvette Young, 2022 Pulitzer Finalist Leilehua Lanzilotti, composer/violinist (and Festival alum) Che Buford, saxophonist/composer Matthew Evan Taylor, and Peter Askim (The Next Festival’s Artistic Director).This concert is one of eight SONiC Festival events that will be available for livestream. Access is free, but advance registration is required. To access links for all livestreamed events, register now.PROGRAMYvette Young: New Work for Electric Guitar and String Orchestra (World Premiere)Leilehua Lanzilotti: New Work for String Orchestra (World Premiere)Che Buford: New Work for String Orchestra (World Premiere)Peter Askim: New Work for String Orchestra (World Premiere)Matthew Evan Taylor: New Work for String Orchestra (World Premiere)

Composer/singer Kamala Sankaram showcases an ongoing creative project in which the audience becomes integral participants in the music-making process. Celebrating ACO’s commitment to creativity, Sankaram has been developing an app to enable anyone to participate regardless of prior music experience or score reading ability. Come join this ever-evolving game-like work at this lunchtime concert co-presented by Kaufman Music Center.

American Composers Orchestra holds its 31st EarShot Readings (formerly Underwood New Music Readings) in June 2023 in New York City, conducted by Tito Muñoz.

Audiences are invited to experience the full read through of works by six composers. One composer will be selected to receive a $15,000 commission for a new work to be performed by ACO in a future season. Featured artists, venue and more details will be announced in early 2023.

EarShot is a program of the American Composers Orchestra, in partnership with the League of American Orchestras, American Composers Forum, and New Music USA. Over the past 10 years the program has initiated dozens of composer/orchestra/conductor relationships across the country offering opportunities to more than 100 composers. In 2016, ACO launched a composer archive of past EarShot compositions as a resource to the field. Orchestras across the country and around the world rely on EarShot to identify and connect with creative artists, as well as to advise on commissions, competitions, and program design.Read more about Composers & their Works. CLICK HERE –>Program:Younje Cho – Feast of Particles Henry Dorn – …i forgot to say good morning todayBrittany J. Green – Rencontres for orchestraOswald Huỳnh – Gia ĐìnhAmy Nam – Mimi’s SongDaniel Reza Sabzghabaei – (گر آتش بارد به پیکرم)Hommage à Khāleqī American Composers OrchestraTito Muñoz, conductor

Violinist/composer Curtis Stewart premieres new music with pianist and Kaufman Music Center Artist-in-Residence Aaron Diehl, Harlem Quartet, Mazz Swift, and a chamber orchestra of musicians from The Next Festival of Emerging Artists and Kaufman Music Center's Special Music School, conducted by Peter Askim. Featuring the world premiere of Curtis’s ACO-commissioned work Embrace, the program brings new creative voices to the fore, in part through reinterpreting works from the past.

A New Sounds Live co-presentation hosted by John SchaeferFeatured ArtistsCurtis Stewart, Grammy-nominated violinist and composer Aaron Diehl, pianist and composer, 2022-23 Kaufman Music Center Artist-in-ResidencePeter Askim, conductorHarlem QuartetThe Next Festival of Emerging Artists OrchestraProgramCURTIS STEWART – GoneViolin soloCURTIS STEWART – Thalassaki MouViolin soloOSCAR PETERSON – Hymn to FreedomViolin and piano feat. Aaron DiehlDAVID N. BAKER – Deliver my SoulViolin and piano feat. Aaron DiehlSAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR – Selections from 24 Negro melodiesViolin and string orchestraCURTIS STEWART – Embrace World Premiere ACO commissionViolin and string orchestraJOSEPH BOLOGNE/CURTIS STEWART – KNIGHT MusicViolin and string orchestra

In June 2023, ACO will premiere new works by 80 composers exploring interactivity as part of the SONiC Activ8 Festival, a citywide event in partnership with Mannes/The New School featuring 14 ensembles and 100+ performers. The Festival will include ACO’s annual EarShot New Music Readings. Stay-tuned for more details!

American Composers Orchestra holds its 31st EarShot Readings (formerly Underwood New Music Readings) in June 2023 in New York City, conducted by Tito Muñoz.

In this initial reading session, hear the works of today’s emerging composers in an open rehearsal with American Composers Orchestra members and artistic staff. Audiences get an immersive view into what happens when an ensemble sits down to read a new work for the first time. Featured artists, venue and more details will be announced in early 2023. The rehearsal is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Capacity is limited.

EarShot is a program of the American Composers Orchestra, in partnership with the League of American Orchestras, American Composers Forum, and New Music USA. Over the past 10 years the program has initiated dozens of composer/orchestra/conductor relationships across the country offering opportunities to more than 100 composers. In 2016, ACO launched a composer archive of past EarShot compositions as a resource to the field. Orchestras across the country and around the world rely on EarShot to identify and connect with creative artists, as well as to advise on commissions, competitions, and program design.Program:Younje Cho – Feast of Particles Henry Dorn – …i forgot to say good morning todayBrittany J. Green – Rencontres for orchestraOswald Huỳnh – Gia ĐìnhAmy Nam – Mimi’s SongDaniel Reza Sabzghabaei – (گر آتش بارد به پیکرم)Hommage à Khāleqī American Composers OrchestraTito Muñoz, conductor

Artis—Naples presents new music by three of today’s most promising emerging women composers: Mengmeng Wang, Jing Jing Luo, and Meilina Tsui. The composers engage with the Naples Philharmonic in private readings, feedback sessions with principal players and artistic directors, and work under the guidance of mentor composers Molly Joyce, a composer and performer whose work focuses on disability as a creative source, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and ACO board member Melinda Wagner.

Associate Conductor Radu Paponiu and the Naples Philharmonic perform the three works in a recorded public concert at Artis–Naples on May 16, 2023 at 7:00pm. Following the reading session in May, Artis—Naples will commission a new work from one of the three EarShot Readings composers for the Naples Philharmonic to give the world premiere in a subsequent season.

This EarShot Readings program at Artis–Naples is made possible by the van Bergen Women Composers Fund, which was a special fund initiated by the Artis–Naples Board of Directors in celebration of CEO and President Kathleen van Bergen’s 10-year anniversary at the organization in September 2021.

EarShot is the first ongoing, systematic program for developing relationships between composers and orchestras on the national level, developed by the American Composers Orchestra to ensure the vibrant future of new American orchestral music. Over the last 25 years, these readings have provided more than 250 composers with vital artistic and technical resources, as well as career-accelerating public exposure. Alumni of EarShot have won every composition award, including the Pulitzer, GRAMMY, Grawemeyer, American Academy of Arts & Letters, and Rome Prizes, to name a few. Composer-orchestra relationships extend beyond the EarShot Readings, and since 2009, 28 works have been commissioned by partner orchestras from EarShot participants and more than half of selected EarShot composers report receiving a commission directly resulting from their participation.

Read more about Composers & their Works. CLICK HERE –>

Program:

Mengmeng Wang – Onomatopoeia – The Architecture of Sound

Jing Jing Luo – Hakka

Meilina Tsui – “Scenes at the Uralsk Fair” from Nomadic Trails for Orchestra

Naples Philharmonic

Radu Paponiu, conductor

Jing Jing Luo, composer

Meilina Tsui, composer

Mengmeng Wang, composer

EarShot is the nation’s first ongoing, systematic program for creating relationships between orchestras and composers. Through EarShot New Music Readings at home in NYC and in partnership with orchestras nationwide, the American Composers Orchestra discovers and develops artists whose work expands the definition of American orchestral music.

Join us for the final listening and recording session, featuring our selected composers and their mentors. The program will include an onstage discussion and Q&A.Read more about Composers & their Works. CLICK HERE –>

Featured Artists & Works:

Alyssa Regent: Where Even Shadows Are LightFred Onovwerosuoke: The Gathering - An Overture for OrchestraAhmed Alabaca: Ode to LibertySofía Rocha: Collage d'hommages

Mentor Composers: Valerie Coleman, Curtis Stewart, Carlos Simon

Public Ticketed Event: May 10 at 1:30pm Live Video Recording of EarShot Reading(free, ticketed event)

Named by Musical America as one of classical music’s Top 30 Influencers for 2015 and a Lorée oboe artist in 2019, Texas native, Alecia Lawyer, is the Founder, Artistic Director, and Principal Oboist of ROCO, a professional music ensemble that flexes from 1 to 40 musicians from around the US and Canada, including guest conductors from around the world. Corey Field is a professionally trained composer who is better known as a prominent entertainment, media, and copyright attorney at his Los Angeles based law firm Corey Field Law Group, P.C. They will bring their multifaceted expertise to this webinar to highlight the importance of understanding and abiding by current regulations related to unions, media rights, and more.Attendance is free, but advanced registration is required.

Composer, producer, and vocalist Lisa Bielawa is a Rome Prize winner in Musical Composition whose works have been described as “ruminative, pointillistic and harmonically slightly tart,” by The New York Times, and “fluid and arresting ... at once dramatic and probing,” by the San Francisco Chronicle. She joins ACO to guide a conversation and offer insights on the importance of building relationships with orchestras, and how to begin to do so.Attendance is free, but advanced registration is required.

Modern Yesterdays features four works, three of them brand new commissions, that trace the links composers build between the past and future, both individually and collectively. Conducted by Daniela Candillari and featuring world-renowned guitarist and composer Kaki King, this program includes new orchestral renderings by composer D. J. Sparr of King’s guitar pieces, including her acclaimed album Modern Yesterdays, with immersive video projections by Attilio Rigotti and Orsolya Szantho. Ellen Reid's Floodplain describes a landscape in which reality shifts virtually overnight, Carlos Simon's Fate Now Conquers represents the unpredictable ways of fate, and a newly commissioned work by up-and-coming composer Carlos Bandera presents a unique perspective on the power of music to bridge time, drawing inspiration from the mythological motif of the cosmic ocean.

Read more about Composers & their Works. CLICK HERE –>

FEATURED ARTISTS

Daniela Candillari, ConductorKaki King, GuitarAttilio Rigotti & Orsolya Szantho, Video ProjectionsCARLOS BANDERA: Materia Prima (World premiere, ACO Underwood Commission Winner 2018)ELLEN REID: Floodplain (New York premiere, Commissioned by Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra with the generous support of Linda and Stuart Nelson, and RTÉ National Symphony)CARLOS SIMON: Fate Now ConquersKAKI KING: Modern Yesterdays (World premiere of orchestrations by D. J. Sparr, ACO commission)

​Yolanda F. Johnson, Soprano and Philanthropy Expert, has crafted a life as a successful performing artist, as a composer, as an educator, and as a supporter of the arts and of women’s equity. In this webinar, Yolanda will offer insights and guidance on grant application processes, fundraising strategies, and how relationships play a role in fundraising.Attendance is free but advanced registration is required.

Corey Field is a professionally trained composer who is better known as a prominent entertainment, media, and copyright attorney at his Los Angeles based law firm Corey Field Law Group, P.C. In this collaboration with ACO, Corey will unpack some of the need-to-know information surrounding orchestral commissions and the creation of consortia for composers.Attendance is free, but advanced registration is required.

*Please note: American Composers Orchestra is experiencing an issue with it's email systems. If you have registered for today's webinar and have not received the Zoom link yet, please email lyndsay@americancomposers.org.

Speakers: Lina González-Granados and Nina Shekhar Receiving a performance by an orchestra isn’t the end of the road for a composer, but the beginning of an ongoing relationship. This webinar will offer rehearsal techniques to composers, and will speak to how they should engage conductors, orchestras, and its musicians throughout the rehearsal process.Attendance is free, but advanced registration is required.

Celebrated as an “...eloquent, poetic voice in contemporary music...” [American Record Guide], Melinda Wagner’s esteemed catalog of works embodies music of exceptional beauty, power, and intelligence. She joins ACO to take musical works from the “canon” and use them as a guide for emerging composers to understand some of the important things to know about orchestration, part writing, and more.Attendance is free, but advanced registration is required.

The work of orchestra librarians often goes unnoticed, but preparing parts to be read by orchestral musicians is a vital part of the process. Manly Romero and Philip Rothman are experts in this aspect of musical performance, and join ACO in this webinar to help composers navigate the task of successful score and part preparation.Attendance is free, but advanced registration is required.